Kiwi plant named ‘Soreli’

ABSTRACT

A new female tetraploid kiwifruit plant,  Actinidia chinensis,  named ‘Soreli’. The new variety results from a controlled cross made using tetraploid  A. chinensis  ‘A137’ as seed-parent and  A. chinensis  ‘A134.41’ as pollen donor. ‘Soreli’ bears single flowers; the fruit is large (118 g on average), oblong, circular in cross section with a reddish brown skin and a brilliant yellow flesh; core is small. Fruit taste sweet, acidity is low. Fruit are harvested earlier than both ‘Jintao’ and ‘Hayward’. Bud break occurs 6 and 8 days before ‘Jintao’ and ‘Hayward’ respectively and flowering time occurs 2 and 9 days before ‘Jintao’ and ‘Hayward’ respectively in Udine (46° 02′ N, 13° 13′ E; 88 m asl) where the comparative observations were carried out. Fruit has medium storage life (up to 3-4 months).

Genus and species: Actinidia chinensis Planchon.

Variety denomination: ‘Soreli’.

BACKGROUND OF THE NEW VARIETY

The invention relates to a new variety of kiwifruit plant (Actinidia chinensis Planchon) named ‘Soreli.’ The new variety produces fruit for the fresh market, as well as for food products such as juice, jam, wine, spirits, fortified food, nutraceuticals and beauty products.

‘Soreli’ originated in the course of a plant breeding program initiated in May 1997 at the University of Udine, Italy by crossing 3 female by 6 male breeding lines, according to a North Carolina Model 2 cross design.

Seeds of fruit obtained from the controlled crosses were extracted in the winter of 1997-1998 and sowed in the spring of 1998. Plants were transplanted in the open field in the winter of 1998-1999. Some 108 seedlings were grown for each controlled cross.

Fruits were observed beginning in 2002, and after several years of field observations, storage and sensory evaluation, ‘Soreli’ was selected from the cross family Ac171 (A137×A134.41) with the code Ac171.76.

Field trials in different growing areas started in 2005 with grafted plants. Propagation was also successfully tested through rooted cuttings and tissue culture, and observations done on regenerated plants bearing fruit confirmed that the new material comes true to the original genotype.

The original plant is still maintained in collection at the experimental farm of University of Udine.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

‘Soreli’ is a new kiwifruit plant obtained as the result of a controlled cross made using the female A. chinensis ‘A137’ as seed-parent and the male A. chinensis ‘A134.41’ as pollen donor. ‘A137’ has unknown parentage and ‘A134.41’ originated from a selection of seeds introduced from the Guangdong province of China in 1993. Both parents (‘A137’ and ‘A134.41’) are unpatented breeding lines held at the Actinidia germplasm repository of the University of Udine, Italy.

‘Soreli’ is different from all kiwifruit varieties described up to now in the western literature and in the Chinese literature for which illustrations of the fruit and an English caption are available. It is distinguishable from the most similar variety (‘Jintao’, not patented) by the following characteristics:

-   -   1. Larger, more rounded fruit.     -   2. More brilliant brown skin colour.     -   3. Slightly earlier bud break and bloom dates.     -   4. Earlier maturity date.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The illustrations include photographs of ‘Soreli’ and of ‘Jintao’, the commercial variety that most resembles ‘Soreli’ and to which ‘Soreli’ is compared in the following botanical description.

FIGS. 1 a and 1 b show the whole plant of ‘Soreli’ and ‘Jintao’, respectively.

FIGS. 2 a and 2 b show the shoot of ‘Soreli’ and ‘Jintao’, respectively.

FIGS. 3 a and 3 b show the leaves of ‘Soreli’ and ‘Jintao’, respectively.

FIGS. 4 a and 4 b show flowers on the vine of ‘Soreli’ and ‘Jintao’, respectively.

FIGS. 5 a and 5 b show flowers of ‘Soreli’ and ‘Jintao’, respectively.

FIGS. 6 a and 6 b show fruit on the vine of ‘Soreli’ and ‘Jintao’, respectively.

FIGS. 7 a and 7 b show fruit of ‘Soreli’ and ‘Jintao’, respectively, in profile and in cross section.

DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION

The following is a detailed botanical description of ‘Soreli,’ based on observations made during the 2009 growing season at Udine, Italy. It should be understood that the botanical and analytical characteristics described will vary somewhat depending upon cultural practices and climatic conditions, and can vary with location and season. Color descriptions are made with reference to The Royal Horticultural Society Colour Chart. Quantified measurements are expressed as an average of measurements taken from a number of individual plants of the new variety. The measurements of any individual plant, or any group of plants, of the new variety may vary from the stated average.

Descriptors and terminology are in accordance with the UPOV technical guidelines for kiwifruit, adopted by the European Community Plant Variety Office in its technical questionnaire (http://www.cpvo.europa.eu/). Traits of ‘Jintao’ are reported for comparison in the last column when significantly different.

TABLE 1 ‘Soreli’ ‘Jintao’ Plant: sex female Ploidy tetraploid Plant: vigor weak medium Young shoot: hairiness present Young shoot: density of hair medium dense Young shoot: type of hairiness velutinous downy Young shoot: anthocyanin coloration absent/very weak of growing tip Stem: coloration of leaf axil purple brown 200B Stem: diameter 12.8 mm Stem: length 29.8 mm Stem: dormant bud diameter 8.1 mm Stem: color on upper side of shoot purple brown 200B Stem: colour of shoot on sunny side purple brown 200B red brown Stem: roughness of bark smooth Stem: hairiness absent Stem: size of lenticels narrow & long, 5.3 variable mm Stem: number of lenticels Few, 6.8 per cm² Stem: colour of lenticels White 155A Stem: size of bud support medium to large, 12.4 mm Stem: presence of bud cover absent Stem: size of hole in bud cover Large, 5.2 mm Stem: leaf scar shallow deep Leaf blade: shape very broad ovate Leaf blade: length 168 mm Leaf blade: width 174 mm Leaf blade: shape of apex acuminate Leaf blade: arrangement of basal lobes slightly overlapping touching each other Leaf blade: hair on upper side absent/very sparse Leaf blade: hair on lower side medium Leaf blade: colour of upper side green 137A Leaf blade: colour of lower side green 139C Petiole: length 101 mm Petiole: diameter 5 mm Petiole: color greyed-purple 185B Petiole: anthocyanin coloration strong weak of upper side Inflorescence: predominant no. of 1 flowers Flower stalk: length Long, 101 mm Flower: number of sepals >5 Sepal: general colour Green 141D Sepal: length 9.2 mm Sepal: diameter 4.8 mm Flower: diameter Large, 37.5 mm Flower: arrangement of petals touching Petal: length 18.7 mm Petal: width 13.4 mm Petal: curvature of apex weakly expressed Petal: type of coloration (adaxial side) single-coloured bicoloured Petal: main colour on adaxial side yellowish white white 155D Petal: different shades of colour absent Petal: distribution of colour lighter towards apex Anther: colour Yellow 6A Styles: quantity many Styles: attitude both erect and horizontal Fruit: size large medium Fruit: length 58 mm Fruit: diameter 45 mm Fruit: general shape oblong Fruit: shape in cross section (at median) circular Fruit: general shape of stylar end slightly depressed flat Fruit: presence of calyx ring weakly expressed Fruit: shape of shoulder at stalk end squared Fruit: length of stalk Long, 47 mm Fruit: diameter of stalk 3 mm Fruit: persistence of sepals absent Fruit: colour of skin greyed-orange brown 172A Fruit: hairiness of skin present Fruit: density of hair very sparse Fruit: distribution of hairs evenly spread Fruit: colour of hairs greyed-orange 163A Fruit: adherence of hairs to skin strong (when rubbed) Fruit: colour of skin at maturity greyed-orange brown for consumption 172A Fruit: colour of lenticels Greyed-orange 166C Fruit: length of lenticels 0.8 mm Fruit: width of lenticels 0.5 mm Fruit: colour of outer pericarp yellow 4A Fruit: colour of inner pericarp (locules) yellow 12A Fruit: diameter of core relative to fruit Small Fruit: general shape of core Oblate (in cross section) Fruit: colour of core yellow white 155C Fruit: sweetness High Fruit: acidity Low medium Time of vegetative bud burst medium Time of beginning of flowering Medium Time of maturity for harvest Early Medium Fruit storage life medium (up to 3 to 4 months)

Information reported below relates to observations made at the experimental farm of the University of Udine (46° 02′ N, 13° 13′ E; 88 m asl) during the years 2002-2008 (data are means±std dev).

TABLE 2 ‘Hayward’ (not Trait ‘Soreli’ ‘Jintao’ patented) bud break March 15 ± 13 March 21 ± 8 March 23 ± 8 flowering time May 12 ± 9 May 14 ± 8 May 23 ± 8 (50% open flowers) harvesting time October 10 ± 8 October 11 ± 5 November 02 ± 7 (>7% SSC) (*) fruit weight (g) at 118 ± 13 95 ± 6  109 ± 6  harvest fruit firmness  4.8 ± 1.9 6.8 ± 0.5 8.2 ± 0.8 (kg/cm2) at harvest fruit SSC (%) at 11.1 ± 1.9 8.1 ± 0.7 6.7 ± 0.5 harvest fruit SSC at maturity 14.5 ± 1.8 15.3 ± 0.9  13.4 ± 1.3  (*) Hayward was harvested at lower SSC content (>6.2 %) because of the risk of frost 

1. We claim a new and distinct kiwifruit plant of the species A. chinensis (tetraploid) substantially as described and illustrated herein, characterized by yellow sweet flesh and brilliant brown fruit skin, large fruit size, oblong fruit shape with a slightly depressed stylar end. 